Bleach: East
by peponi
Summary: Rukia's heart and mind has always been the adventurous girl she was meant to be. The only thing preventing that was her mother. So when a mysterious man offers prosperity and health in exchange for her, Rukia agrees with not fear but excitement. HIATUS.
1. Prologue: Lonely Child

This story is called "East" because it's based on the beautiful book "East" by Edith Pattou. I've read it twice now, so I thought, hey, why not make an IchiRuki story on it? If you have a chance to, read the book. It's really stunning.

**Summary: **Rukia is an adventurous girl with a stubborn personality, much to her mother's dismay. Despite the fact that her family's poor, Rukia has many dreams and wishes. However, when a young man offers luxury and health in exchange for Rukia, she agrees in excitement. Secrets about her birth uncover and surprising feelings arise during her time with the man.

**Disclaimer: **...I don't own Bleach.

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**East  
**

Based on the book "East" By Edith Pattou

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Prologue: Lonely Child

A cold wind brushed by along with tiny snowflakes, the white flakes tingling the pale cheeks of a shivering child. Enchanted by the swirling flakes around her, she slowly reached up with one small hand and touched the tips of a snowflake. Stunned by the sudden feeling of wet and cold, she quickly brought back her hand in alarm. After deciding that this strange object caused no harm, she cupped both her hands together and watched in amazement as little flakes fell into them. Giggling, she closed her eyes and danced around freely; letting more of the flakes fall onto her everywhere. Her mother would scold her later, but right now, she didn't mind. The giggles soon turned to laughter as she fell back onto the soft ground of snow. Opening her eyes, the child gazed up at the cloudless sky. It was truly a wonderful day. She loved the feeling and sight of the snow, even though it was cold. Oh what an enchanting season this was.

Longing for more fun, the girl climbed onto a short brick wall which was now all covered with snow and walked slowly on it. She enjoyed being up high while others were afraid of heights. She certainly was not, though she was a child. The feeling of being above, so free and wild made her happy. She felt like a bird, being able to see everything from high above. She didn't understand as to why anyone could be so afraid of this wondrous feeling.

Then something odd caught her sharp eyes.

Not too far away from where she was, there was a boy who appeared to be about her age. His bold hair colour stood out in the wintery scene, amber coloured eyes looking curiously at her. And yet, there was a feeling of sadness and longing coming from him.

Thrilled that there would be someone else that she could play with, the raven-haired girl called out excitedly, "Hello! Would you like to play with me?"

Stunned by the loudness of her voice, the boy was confused as to what he should say. He made no movement, only simply staring at her, as if waiting to see what she would do next.

Feeling impatient for his reply, the girl jumped off the wall, landing with a soft _thud_ and began to run up to him, when a sudden voice called out, "Rukia! Where are you?"

The girl, whose name was Rukia, recognized that the worried voice belonged to her mother. She paused and looked behind, seeing a bit of her mother's black hair sticking out in the distance. Rukia looked back to say farewell to the boy, but much to her disappointment, he had disappeared.

Saddened by this, Rukia walked back to her mother, who was now using her gentle hands to wipe the snow off her daughter's pale face.

"Rukia, what were you thinking, running off like that? Do you realize how cold it is outside? You had me so worried!" Rukia's mother kneeled down, so that she was at eye-level with her, and stared, waiting for some sort of reply.

Ignoring her mother's words, Rukia told her, "Momma, I met this weird boy earlier."

Tilting her head to the side, Rukia's mother raised an eyebrow. "Really? What was his name?"

Rukia frowned, thinking about how she had only saw him for a few minutes before he was gone. "I don't know…He ran away before I asked."

Hisana smiled at her daughter and stood up, holding onto Rukia's small hand. "Maybe you'll see him another time. Let's go home, shall we, Rukia?"

Rukia happily nodded and followed her mother home, while telling her about the day's events. The snow continued to fall gently around them, creating a land of white. Behind them far away, were two eyes that watched in sadness as the mother and daughter walked on home, hand in hand.

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Thank you for reading this short little prologue!


	2. Just Like Any Day

_2011 EDIT: Yes hey everyone! It's been awhile; I'm just updating some stuff in some chapters. I'm thinking about re-writing the chapters again since I believe that my writing has improved a great amount but I probably won't for awhile because I'm a lazy bum, haha. Anyway, I'm not permanently back; I'm just updating some stuff. I might be continue this story sometime but just not at the moment. Thanks everyone!_

I typed this chapter in quite a rush, so forgive me for its lack in interest and possibly grammar/punctuation. Just point out my weak spots and I'll fix them to the best of my ability.

**DISCLAIMER: **Yesiree folks, I totally own Bleach. I mean, what else do I use to wash the laundry? /lame pun is lame

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Chapter One: Just Like Any Day

_12 years later_

It was winter again.

However, nobody could tell that it was, considering the fact that there was no snow in Rukongai. Yes, for the first time in a long time, snow did not present itself during the first week of winter. Though no one had any idea why snow was late this year, some sighed of relief, for work could be done easier, while some who loved the snow frowned in disappointment. Rukia was definitely one of the last ones.

Sighing sadly as she leaned on the window sill, Rukia's eyes darted up to the sky, hoping to see at least a snowflake. Blank and cloudless the sky was, not a flake appearing in sight. Sighing once again, Rukia hopped off the sill and walked out of her tidy room, and headed downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

Rukia smiled at her mother as she placed a small dish of fried fish on the dining table who looked up and smiled back in return. Rukia found it a bit funny that as she grew older, she looked more and more like her mother. People often mistook them both as sisters rather than mother and daughter, but Rukia didn't mind. She thought her mother was the prettiest person on the Earth and her heart glowed with happiness whenever someone thought that they were siblings.

"Good morning, Rukia. Did you sleep well?" Hisana sat down on a little wooden chair next to the dining table.

Rukia nodded. "Yes I did, mom."

Hisana took both of Rukia's hands and held them, frowning. "Rukia, your hands are really cold..."

Rukia squirmed her hands free and looked away. "Mom, I'm fine. I don't feel the cold at all. Besides, it surely mustn't be that cold since there's no sight of the snow."

"I'm sorry Rukia. I really wish I could-"

Rukia gave her mother a look, knowing full well of what she might just about to say. "Mom, I'm fine. I know you try your best every day." Rukia smiled one last time at her mother before leaving in search of her father, younger sister, and older brother.

After the Kuchiki family's warm meal, Rukia was told to go shopping for some groceries down in the market, which was not too far away of where they lived. This was the Rukongai Village after all; everyone was somewhat squished together, making nearly everyone pretty close with one another.

Rukia hummed a quiet melody as she stepped out of her small house in her cream-coloured boots that her mother had made for her as a birthday present last year. Her feet had not grown much since then, so the boots still fit her. Rukia looked back to the house and waved, rolling her eyes when Byakuya, her father, told her to "be safe and steer clear of the young men." He was always protective of her. At times, the protectiveness was annoying, but Rukia understood that it was Byakuya's way of letting her know that he cared for her.

Rukia's head fell back as she looked upon the clear blue sky, searching one again for any sight of snow. Just as before, there was none. She breathed a sad sigh, disappointed that there would be a possibility of a no-show from winter's white flakes.

"Hey Rukia!" A familiar voice called out to her.

Rukia looked behind her and saw her childhood best friend, Renji Abarai, running up to her. She smiled and replied back a greeting.

"Where are you heading off to?" Renji asked, tossing a sack of hay for the horses over his shoulders.

"To the market for groceries and such. You?"

Rukia laughed as the sack of hay fell from Renji's hands but helped him pick them up.

"Thanks," Renji muttered, a blush unknown to Rukia appeared faintly against his pale cheeks as he took the hay from Rukia, their fingers slightly brushing by one another.

"I'm just heading off to feed the horses and such…They sure do eat a lot of hay, you know."

Rukia nodded in agreement, though she never had a horse of her own before. She preferred the delicate ball of fluffs named the rabbits. She could never be able to afford a small bunny from the pet store in the village since her family was too poor, but she loved to watch wild rabbits from afar or, when her parents weren't looking, she'd go right up to them and pet their soft fur.

Suddenly, much to Rukia's surprise, Renji stopped and turned half-way around so that he was facing Rukia.

"Renji? What are you doing?" Rukia asked as she stopped as well, cocking her head to side.

"Well, er…" Renji stuttered as he scratched the back of his head nervously. _How should I word this… _"Rukia?"

"I'm listening Renji."

Renji avoided looking at Rukia, especially her eyes as he began to ask.

"Do you…you know…"

"Yes?"

_God, this is way harder than I thought it would be. _Renji began to sweat as the time for him to ask came closer.

"Rukia, do you want to…go on a…Uh, da-"

"Rukiaaa!"

Both Renji and Rukia turned their heads toward the direction of the voice or rather, disturbance, in Renji's head.

While Renji covered his face with hand and groaned quietly, Rukia smiled and waved at their close friend, Rangiku Matsumoto who was Rukongai's bartender by night and clothing store worker by day.

Rukia frowned at Renji's abnormal state and, raising an eyebrow, asked him, "Are you okay, Renji?"

Renji jerked his head up and smiled nervously. "Yeah yeah, I'm totally fine Rukia. Just perfect."

Rukia didn't believe him but let it go, to Renji's relief. She was too busy trying to escape Rangiku's deathly hug anyway.

"It's so good to see you, Rukia! Planning on visiting the bar anytime soon?" Rangiku grinned, her arms and dare I say, chests were literally choking Rukia, whose face was turning a slight shade of blue.

"Uhm…Rangiku, I think Rukia's choking," Renji said as he tried to help his "dying" friend out.

Rangiku stared at him as though he was out of his mind but took one look at her friend who had somehow disappeared beneath her lady "blessings" and immediately let go.

"Whoops," Rangiku giggled. "Sorry there, Rukia. Didn't mean to kill ya or anything."

Rukia brushed her apology off as she tried to regain control of her breathing. "I-it's fine, Rangiku…Though I swore my soul had left me for a few seconds…"

Rangiku pouted at that comment and whined, "Hey Ru, I don't think my hug was _that _deathly!"

Rukia fake coughed and replied back, "Right. You try having someone hug you like that and we'll see if it's deathly or not."

Renji laughed as he watched them both argue over whether or not Rangiku's hugs were enough to kill someone, which from his own personal experience, it was. Rangiku herself didn't even know her own strength. Everyone who knew her well tried to avoid being hugged by her as much as they possibly could and for the perverted men who didn't, they certainly learned their lessons alright, from Rangiku herself. Though the girl could be clueless at times, she was pretty smart in knowing who was okay and didn't need to be murdered and who was perverted that needed to deal with her punches. While her punches were not as strong as her hugs, they were enough to knock someone out for a day or two. You certainly didn't want to act like someone wanting "more than just a drink" in front of Rangiku. She could be scary when she wanted be. Most of the time though, she was pretty "bubbly" and cheerful.

"Fine fine fine, you win this time, Ru," Rangiku sighed as she admitted defeat, not wanting to see how long Rukia's stubborn personality could take this small little disagreement for. Knowing her, it could be quite awhile until she won.

"Don't I always," Rukia grinned.

Rangiku laughed at that remark and had to admit that she was correct. "Okay, we get it Rukia. You going grocery shopping for your parents?" She asked as she noticed Rukia's basket, which was the one she carried whenever it was her turn to do the grocery shopping for her family.

Rukia nodded. "Would you like to come with me and Renji? You could stay over. That is, if you have time."

"She's probably too busy, working for that pipsqueak boss of hers," Renji commented and rolled his eyes.

Rangiku smirked. "Actually, you're right. I'm on my break right now and saw you guys while I was just walking around the town and decided to say hi and all. Speaking of that little munchkin boss of mine, he wants to know how little Momo is doing."

"He didn't actually say that, did he?" Renji asked, shocked by Rangiku's words.

Rangiku laughed. "Of course he didn't! But he certainly implied it! So, tell me Rukia, how Momo is so that the guy won't be so grumpy for the entire day. He always gives me more work to do when he is."

Rukia smiled, delighted that Momo had found someone that cared for her, though he wouldn't admit. She was worried that Momo would not be able to love anyone anymore, after that whole Aizen Souske incident. She mentally scowled at what the old bastard did to her little sister. Why, if she ever saw him again, the things she'd do…

"Tell Hitsugaya that Momo's happy, like she always is. She's been feeling slightly ill the past few days, but it shouldn't be anything too serious."

"Will do, Ru. Tell little Mo I wish her well! I have to get back to work guys; Toshirou's going to blow the roof if I'm late. See ya!" Rangiku waved as she hurried to her work place, leaving Rukia and Renji alone once again.

"So Renji, you were going to ask me before Rangiku attacked us. What was it?" Rukia asked as she continued walking again.

Renji followed her and was about to say something, but shook his head. "It was nothing important. Don't worry about it. My stop's here, Rukia. I'll see you another time?"

"Alright. I'll see you later, Ren."

Renji gave her a gentle smile, surprising Rukia a bit, and began running off.

Rukia blinked. "Well, that was odd."

She looked in the distance and saw that the sun was slowly making its way to the middle of the blue sky.

"I guess I better hurry, or I'll be late for lunch," Rukia said to herself as she started her way through a small crowd with people who, like her, were looking for the ingredients to their meals and possibly other necessities.

Little did she know, a figure was following her.

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_2012 EDIT: Thanks for reading this everyone!_


	3. DéjàVu

_2011 EDIT: Just editing some stuff here, not the actual story. I just read this chapter and I cringed through the entire time. I will definitely rewrite this guys. My pride can't take it, haha._

_Original: _

Hey guys! Had to delete and re-upload since my new Beta Reader (yes, finally got one) Chocoholic Kris helped me fixed the few mistakes in it. Big thanks to**Chocoholic Kris!**

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo still refused. Edith Pattou owns all the rights to East. I live in the West anyway

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**Chapter Two: **Déjà-Vu

"Wow, today seems kinda busy," Rukia remarked as she stood on her tip-toes, trying to see how long the line for the vegetable stall stretched. She saw that many people than usual had come to the market today. All of them were women, since the men usually did work around the house along with their sons and the daughters would tag along with the mother or did it by themselves. However, she saw a few mothers, aunts, and older sisters with a little boy accompanying them, using their tiny fingers to point to the amazing sights and items around them. They were so innocent, unaware of the whole world.

The crowd she was in earlier wasn't quite big, but this line sure as heck was. Rukia sighed once realizing that the shopping would take longer than she thought it would, so she began to quietly hum a soft song to distract herself. She could always remember this particular tune because as a child her mother always sang it to her to try to help her fall asleep when she was having trouble sleeping or when she just woke up from a nightmare. It was rare to hear her mother sing, so she'd sometimes pretend that she was having trouble just to hear her songs. Her mother always sang it so beautifully with all of her heart that Rukia thought her mother had the purest voice she ever heard.

The song must have not been so quiet for a little boy had heard her and began pulling on the sleeve of her dress, trying to gain her attention.

"You sing really prettily, Nee-san," The boy gave Rukia his biggest smile.

"Thank you. What's your name, little one?" Rukia smiled back in return for his compliment. She was surprised that he had heard her, for she thought that no one could since she was trying to be as quiet as possible, but still be able to hear it herself.

"My name is Kuoka," The boy replied, offering his tiny hand to shake.

"Kuoka? What a unique name it is. My name is Rukia,' Rukia gently grasped the little boy's hand and shook.

Kuoka tilted his head to side, causing his dark brown hair to fall to the side, thinking about Rukia's name.

"Ru…kia?" He tested out the sound on his lips and grinned, deciding that Rukia was a good name with a nice sound.

Rukia nodded. "Yep, that's it. Kuoka, maybe you should go back to your parents; they could be really worried about you."

Kuoka frowned, thinking about something before giving his reply.

"I'm not with my parents…My brother came with me today. He's really nice."

"Oh," Rukia said, surprised. She never saw men do the shopping; that would be very odd. "Well, your brother could be worried about you too. Why don't you go back to him? It was really nice meeting you today, Kuoka."

Kuoka smiled. "Uh-huh. I hope we'll meet again, Rukia nee-san. You're nice too, like my big brother."

Rukia ruffled his hair, thinking about her own siblings. She remembered how Momo was like this once, when they were both younger. Momo used to follow her everywhere, which kinda reminded her of how she herself was with Kaien, her older brother. When Momo wasn't born yet, Rukia would literally tag along wherever Kaien went. He was very kind to her; slightly rough at times, but those moments were very rare. He was always gentle with her, never too loud and harsh. When they grew older, Kaien was still kind, but they'd often play rough with each other and their parents always had to stop them from killing each other. They sometimes did it just to entertain Momo, since she always laughed while they fought, but never joined in. She was never the type to fight anyone, unless it was for a good reason. Momo was the peaceful one in the family; quiet, shy. Secretly, both Rukia and Kaien were planning to change that. Only they didn't; Toshirou did.

Kuoka sprinted off in another direction after waving good-bye to Rukia, leaving her still with a smile.

"Well, today wasn't so bad," Rukia said to herself, recalling her encounter with the young boy. _I wonder who his brother is…I've never heard of Kuoka or seen him anywhere, after all._

Once Rukia had finished her grocery shopping for all the food her mother told her to buy, she went straight home, not wanting to be later than she already was. The sun's position in the sky was about the middle, showing that it was noon already.

Upon arriving on her doorstep, she found it strange that she didn't see Kaien or Momo hanging around outside, since the two usually would. Both Momo and Kaien weren't the type to stick in a house all day. Just like her, they needed to be outdoors and free.

Rukia gently slid open the door, listening for any sounds. Frowning when she heard none, Rukia stepped aside and kicked her boots off, leaving them beside the door.

"I'm home," She called, expecting a reply, but no one said anything.

"Huh. That's odd…" Rukia muttered as she placed the basket of groceries onto the kitchen table.

She looked around the house, but no one was there.

"Anyone home?"

Silence.

Rukia began to walk upstairs; maybe her brother and sister were hiding somewhere. Yeah, that's probably it. Maybe they planned to scare the hell out of her when she came home and somehow, her parents were involved. Rukia smirked. How typical of Kaien it was to be planning this. She had no idea how he managed to get their too serious father to be involved in this though, but she gave him props for managing to do so.

"Isn't he making this too obvious?" Rukia whispered to herself. With pranks, Kaien was never too obvious, if he was obvious at all. He was extremely sneaky, managing to fool everyone except their father. Kaien once told her that it would be his goal and challenge to fool him, since their father was so sharp and quick witted.

She stopped outside the room that she and her siblings shared and tapped her foot lightly, signalling to her siblings that she had already caught on.

"Alright guys, joke's over. You can't fool me," Rukia laughed, knocking onto their bedroom door.

No sounds greeted her back. Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"I already know what you're trying to do but too bad you're caught. It was a good idea anyway!"

Yet nobody replied back.

"O-okay, now that's creepy," Rukia said as she stepped away from the door. _Maybe they all went out somewhere…?_

Rukia shrugged and walked downstairs. They couldn't be gone for too long, so she thought she could just wander around while she could. After all, her mother would barely let her out of her sight. Shopping was the only exception, so when Rukia could, she'd often sneak outside and wander off, discovering new sights everywhere. Hisana would always be seen panicking by the time Rukia came back and would then tell her that she'd wander off for too long and that it wasn't safe to do this. Then she'd list all the "horrible and terrifying" things that could have happened to her while Rukia would be secretly rolling her eyes. She never completely understood why Hisana never allowed her to go to places by herself and explore. There were so many things to do in the world, so many sights she wouldn't be able to see if her mother always tried to block her from the rest of the world. What was so wrong about exploring?

Hisana sometimes said that Rukia was more wild than Kaien and Momo, which was all too true. Kaien and Momo were always the obedient ones, leaving Rukia by herself. Sure Momo and Kaien loved to be outside; they just didn't enjoy the idea of exploring the world as much as she did, which was one of the things that separated her and them. Hisana always tried her hardest to keep Rukia as close as possible, which at times Rukia felt as though she was being held onto too much. She wasn't one who could stay still for long; "too many things to do than to sit still" is what Rukia would frequently say.

Rukia slipped her boots back on and slid open the door, breathing in the fresh air all around her. The wind carried away all her thoughts, freeing her. She twirled in circles on the trial leading out of her house and after awhile, she went off the peach coloured trial, interested by a small berry bush.

Rukia plucked a red berry from the bush and wiped it onto the fabric of her dress before gulping it down. The berry tasted sweet and refreshing, so she picked up one more before skipping away, going further into a forest.

A few minutes of walking into the unknown, there was a small clearing with a tiny brick wall beside a frozen river. Light poured in from an opening in the forest above, which shone on the wall, as if it were inviting her to come in. Rukia accepted the invitation by walking into the clearing, amazed by the scene around her. Petite flowers in a variety of colours bloomed on some areas on the patches of grass and a cherry tress stood on the other side of the river. Though it was winter, Rukia could still some of the tiny pink petals hung delicately on the tree, as though they themselves were afraid to fall off any moment. The frozen river glittered as the ice reflected off the sunlight from the sky.

"Wow," Rukia breathed, placing her hand on the frost covered brick wall. She didn't mind the cold, enjoying the chilling sensation on her fingertips. Rukia brushed off some of the frost and stared at the few that sat on the tip of a finger, admiring it. It wasn't snow, but it was close anyway.

Then a sudden odd feeling of familiarity overcame her.

"Have I been here before..?" Rukia asked herself, looking around the place once again. She scanned the place quickly, but didn't recognize the area. Yet, she had this strong feeling that she had been here before but couldn't remember if she had. She was sure that she would remember a place like this.

Rukia brushed the feeling off aside for now and decided to climb on top of the brick wall. She placed her hands on the edges and held on tight while she pushed herself up. She successfully did it and landed on top, coldness greeting her. She stretched her arms out, trying to balance herself as she walked along the wall.

Suddenly, Rukia lost her balance, and her foot slipped from underneath, surprising her.

"Ahh!" Rukia cried out as she waited for the impact of the ground to hit her back.

But she didn't. Instead, she felt a pair of strong arms catch prevent her from falling to the ground. Rukia slowly opened her eyes and gasped as she gazed into a pair of warm amber eyes there to greet her, startling her.

The young man had bright orange coloured hair and, she didn't like to admit it, had a handsome face.

He gently placed her down on the grass and stared at her.

"T-thank you," Rukia quietly said to the teenager who looked about to be the same age as her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Rukia nodded, mesmerized by the colour and emotions in his eyes. They held worry, fear, care, and the last one…She couldn't quite figure it out.

He averted his eyes from hers, which made Rukia feel embarrassed. _Shit. Why would I just stare into his eyes like that? What's wrong with you?_

"What's your name?" Rukia asked. The feeling of familiarity hit her once again after she met this person, like she knew him from somewhere. The thing is, she'd never seen him ever before in her entire life. At least, she thought she hadn't.

He seemed surprised from the question, unsure of what he should say but settled on telling her the answer.

"Ichi-"

"Rukia!"

Rukia turned her head towards the way where she had entered this place, recognizing the voice as her brother's.

Kaien came running in soon after with a serious but worried expression on his face.

"God dammit, where were you?"

"I, uh, just wanted to go for a walk…"

Kaien raised an eyebrow. "Alone?"

Rukia shook her head. "No, I was with-" Rukia stopped her sentence after she noticed that the boy earlier had disappeared. "Huh? He was here a minute ago…"

Kaien walked up to his sister and shook her arm. "Who was?"

Rukia nervously laughed, deciding that it wasn't best to tell him.

"Oh uh, no one. Just talking to myself again, haha." She didn't know why she didn't tell Kaien about her meeting with the strange boy; perhaps she was worried about his safety?

_Safety from what?_

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Thanks for reading!


	4. Important UpdateAnnouncement

Hello everyone, peponi here! I've changed my name again, sorry.

Another thing I'm deeply sorry about is how I've put this story on hiatus for nearly four years now? I never thought that would happen but somehow, I gradually began to write less and less over the years, until I just stopped altogether. I know how upsetting it can be when an author just abruptly stops updating for awhile (and four years too…) and that it is even more upsetting when the writer leaves without a word as well. I'm sorry for not saying anything before I put this story and myself on a now four-year hiatus. It may be useless to say this (and I don't blame you if you don't believe me) since it's been so long but…I do very much want to continue this story, until its end, as well as writing more stories! Unfortunately, I'm not saying that I am going to continue this story at the moment because I can't-in order to continue, I need to catch up on this series and reread "East" again. In order to do that, I need time-which is something I don't have right now due to the fact that I am busy with school/university preparations.

I made a promise that I would finish this story and I'm not planning on breaking that promise. Again, I don't blame you if you no longer trust my words. If all goes well with my university preparations, I should have time a year or so from now to continue writing. I know; another year is a very long time. However, until then, I must continue working on my preparations.

I'm deeply sorry for disappointing and upsetting readers of this story. I hope that you are all doing well and I shall return with another update if anything else happens.

Thank you very much for your support, and I do hope to return in a year!


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